Heel with expanded tube anchored therein



Feb. 24, 1959 J. FITZSIMMONS I 2,87

HEEL WITH EXPANDED TUBE ANCHORED THEREIN Filed Jan. 28. 1958 United States Pat Fitz-On Heel Corporation, Winchester, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application January 28, 1958, Serial No. 711,637

2 Claims. (CI. 36-34) This invention comprises a new and improved structure for anchoring in a womans high heel a metallic tubehaving the double function of reinforcing the heel structure and serving as a socket for a replaceable top lift.

High heels of various synthetic resinous compositions are now in great demand. These heels include a shank portion of extreme length and very limited cross-section and a top lift of correspondingly small area. Heels of this popular type are necessarily so fragile as to require metallic reinforcing and the top lifts are so small that they require renewing or replacement after a few Weeks of wear.

The present invention solves the problem not only in providing such heels with metallic reinforcing tubes, but of properly inserting the tubes at low labor cost and of securely anchoring them against displacement in the most desirable position for reception of a replaceable molded top lift.

Going more into detail, the heel structure is provided by the steps of driving the tube into the bore of the heel while the body of the tube is supported by a close fitting mandrel, anchoring the outer end of the tube below or within the tread face of the heel, and then forcibly expanding the countersunk end of the tube so as to embed it into the material of the heel.

It is of course important that the tube when once inserted in the proper relation should be fixed immovably 2,874,488 Patented Feb. 24, 1959 varying of course in accordance with the overall dimensions of the heel. As herein shown the bore is circular,

in cross-section.

The tube 12 which it is desired to insert in the bore 11 is formed of stiff flexible sheet steel or other metal and is triangular in cross-section as shown in Fig. 4 and has meeting edges at one vertex, being otherwise of integral structure.

The preferred form of tool for inserting the tube 12 is a mandrel 13 which projects from or is formed integral with a cylindrical head 14. The mandrel 13 is triangular in cross-section and designed to fit closely within the tube 12. At its upper end it is provided with three diverging wedge shaped ribs 15 and those ribs terminate below a cylindrical countersinking shoulder 16 which is of substantially the same diameter as the bore 11 of the heel. The depth of the bore 11 when properly formed is slightly in excess of the length of. the tube 12 so that when the tube bottoms in the bore its outer end will be countersunk below the tread face of the heel.

In carrying out the invention the tube 12 is first threaded telescopically upon the mandrel 13 and advanced until its upper end encounters the flaring or divergent ribs'15. The heel 10 is now placed in position beneath a reciprocatory plunger 17 and upon a supporting fixture 18 which locates the bore in vertical alignment with the path of movement of the mandrel with its enclosing tube 12. The plunger 17 now descends and the tube 12 supported by the close fitting mandrel 13 is driven into the bore 11 until it bottoms as shown in Fig. 2. In this movement the divergent ribs 15 of the mandrel advance in the heel as otherwise its reinforcing function is irnpaired and the top lift may become twisted. It is moreover desirable that the outer end of the tube should be countersunk below the tread face of the heel or at least terminate within the body of the heel in order to obviate the possibility of cutting into the under face of the top lift.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred manner of reinforcing a typical heel of the class described, all as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are views in elevation, partly in section, showing progressive positions of the inserted tube,

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective on a greatly enlarged scale showing portions of the tube and mandrel, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the reinforced heel as seen from its tread face as suggested by the line 44 in Fig. 2.

The heel 10 as shown in the drawings is in contour typical of womens high heels now in great demand. It has a shank portion of extreme length and very small cross-sectional area. Such heels are available to the industry and are molded from various synthetic resinous plastics such, for example, as polymers and copolymers of styrene, cellulosic acetate, ethyl cellulose and the like. These materials are all of light weight, extremely tough in texture, and slightly elastic and resilient.

In preparing a heel structure of the present invention a longitudinal bore 11 is drilled, or drilled and broached, into the shank portion of the heel from the tread face thereof for a substantial distance, such as 2 inches, but

the tube in the relation shown in Fig. 1 until the tube develops sufiicient frictional resistance to cause the ribs to expand the tube so that its vertices become embedded in the material of the heel as suggested in Fig. 4. It will be understood that originally the overall dimensions of the tube are slightly greater than the diameter of the bore 11 so that the tube will make a driving fit in the bore. The final inserting movement of the tube 12 is caused by the shoulder 16 which engages the outer and partially expanded end of the tube and forces it into a countersunk position below the tread face of the heel as shown in Fig. 2. The tube is thus immovably fixed within the heel in readiness to receive a top lift such as that shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 683,061. Such top lifts are molded from nylon or other synthetic resins and have a shank triangular in crosssection adapted to be inserted and retained in the tube 12. As alreadypointed out it is desirable that the tube 12 should present no end portion projecting beyond the tread face of the heel in order to avoid cutting into the under face and weakening the top lift where the tread portion and stem of the top lift merge together.

While certain important advantages of the present invention have been discussed, there are several others that should be noted. A tube inserted and expanded as above explained is anchored in the heel so securely that all danger is obviated of having the tight-fitting shank of a top lift displace or withdraw the tube when the top lift is replaced. Also if an over-size bore is accidentally formed in drilling, the tube will still be securely anchored in the heel by its expanded edges. It has been found that by spreading or expanding the end corners of the tube in the heel it is unnecessary to tumble the tubes for the purpose of removing burrs since the interior of the tube is cleared of these by the mandrel used for insertion. And finally the invention obviates the necessity for cement or other adhesive for holding the tube in place.

While the present invention is particularly useful in dealing with heels of plastic material, it is not so limited but has a more general application to high heels of wood or other materials.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail a preferred manner of carrying it out, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A womans high heel of plastic material having a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the tread face of the heel, a metallic tube of triangular cross section substantially filling the bore and bottomed therein, having its outer end countersunk below the said tread face of the heel and expanded so that its vertices are imbedded in the material of the heel.

2. A heel of plastic material for womens shoes, having a longitudinal bore extending inwardly from the tread face of the heel, a metallic tube of triangular cross sec tion substantially filling the bore, having its outer end terminating within the tread face of the heel and expanded so that its vertices are embedded in the plastic 5 material of the heel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,997,811 Critchley Apr. 16, 1935 2,038,274 Fitzsimmons Apr. 21, 1936 2,707,791 Fitzsimmons May 10, 1955 

